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Sydney Market Stall Review: Paddington Markets

Open every Saturday on Oxford Street, Paddington Markets, or as the locals affectionately call it, the “Paddo Bazaar” is an institution in Sydney. With less sardines and more goodies made by upcoming designers, it draws many locals and tourists to scour for one-off handcrafted goods such as artworks and home decor ornaments. You’ll also find a line of fortune tellers outside the gates of the markets.

Store front of the Paddington Market frothing up with dope items for your closet or the humble abode. Photo: Tina Tek

If you meander around the markets, you’ll find yourself feasting your eyes on the various teas, arts, crafts and other goodies available. You may hear at least one person say, “I’ll never drink again!” , whilst getting some much needed coffee. Nevertheless, my advice is to come here with an open mind, or even chat to some of the stall operators as you can always spark an interesting conversation with them, or gain an insight to their product. Many feel the Paddington Markets no longer have a ‘junk’ aspect to it, and this is true in many cases. Recycled clothing and accessories are absent here, as it’s filled with creations of up and coming fashion designers. I do feel that while some things are beautiful, they’re overpriced – according to my made up statistics, 99.9% I surveyed wouldn’t spend $150 on a cushion. If you want to grab a unique item of clothing or accessories, it’s worth getting up early to nab those things.

Various trinklets available at the Paddington Markets. Photo: Tina Tek

Spice trail. Photo: Tina Tek

Colourful cashmere scarves. Photo: Tina Tek

Vintage ties on display. Photo: Tina Tek

Cowboy boots – feeling that Texan vibe. Photo: Tina Tek

Clothing rack frothing up with tons of floral shirts. Photo: Tina Tek

There’s nothing more seductive than a brewed pot of tea. Photo: Tina Tek

Sunnies galore at Abe & Sara Photo: Tina Tek

One great young designer to check out if you’re ever at the Paddington Markets is Woody Roo. You may feel like you’ve stepped onto the set of Dead Poets Society when you browse through this label. With the neutral colours, argyle prints and soft tailoring, it gives a refreshing look to an otherwise conservative preppy style.

Blazer and argyle printed bow tie at Woody Roo. Photo: Tina Tek

Oh silly me, I almost forgot to introduce you to the dapper lad solely responsible for designing these beautiful garments, his name’s Billy Wood. It’s always nice to put a face to a person. So here’s a photo of what he looks like :

The man behind Woody Roo – Billy Wood. Photo: Tina Tek

For all you lads who are interested in buying an item of Woody Roo, you should check out the chino tan pants, they’re seriously dope.

However, I got something to say about this great Paddington institution. These days, Oxford Street resembles more of a ghost town, with small boutiques and established brands such as Nicola Finetti and Shag closing their doors in recent times. There are many factors which are affecting this once fashionable suburb. Online shopping, the opening of Bondi Junction Westfields, the lack of parking in Paddington and high rental costs are some of the reasons why many of the boutiques are closing its doors. Perhaps the Woollahra Municipal Council should consider a free bus shuttle service from Central station to Paddington, as well as the surrounding suburbs of Darlinghurst and Woollahra in order to help out the local boutiques in the area. Considering how the current government is axing seven of out the 12 free shuttle bus services across Sydney including Cabramatta, Liverpool and Mt Druitt area – I feel my proposal will go down the gurdler.

It’s not all doom and gloom at the Paddington Markets, as long as they continue to tap to the massive pool of emerging talent that we have in Straya, people will come here in droves.

Details

Where: Paddington Markets are located at the Paddington Uniting Church on Oxford Street.